UAB head football coach Alex Mortensen joins The Next Round for an in-depth conversation on building the Blazers, recruiting in Birmingham, and how his time at Alabama under Nick Saban shaped his coaching philosophy. Mortensen explains why connecting with the Birmingham community is critical to growing the UAB fan base and why the Blazers’ facilities — including Protective Stadium, the football operations building, practice facilities, and weight rooms — are major selling points in recruiting. He also breaks down what he learned from spring practice, including why UAB’s defense is becoming longer, faster, more competitive, and more relentless. Mortensen discusses the next step for his players: moving beyond knowing what to do and learning the how and why behind elite execution. The conversation also dives into Mortensen’s nine years at Alabama, what he learned from Nick Saban, and how working around offensive minds like Lane Kiffin, Brian Daboll, and Steve Sarkisian helped prepare him for this opportunity. Plus, he shares why he is excited about hiring Todd Grantham as defensive coordinator and how his network of coaches continues to guide him. Can Alex Mortensen build UAB into a winner in Birmingham? #AlexMortensen, #UABFootball, #UABBlazers, #CollegeFootball, #TheNextRound, #AlabamaFootball, #NickSaban, #Birmingham, #ToddGrantham, #GoBlazers SUBSCRIBE: @NextRoundLive - / @nextroundlive FOLLOW TNR ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/7zlofzLZht7dYxjNcBNpWN FOLLOW TNR ON APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-next-round/id1797862560 WEBSITE: https://nextroundlive.com/ MOBILE APP: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-next-round/id1580807480 SHOP THE NEXT ROUND STORE: https://nextround.store/ Like TNR on Facebook: / nextroundlive Follow TNR on Twitter: / nextroundlive Follow TNR on Instagram: / nextroundlive Follow everyone from the show on Twitter: Jim Dunaway: / jimdunaway Ryan Brown: / ryanbrownlive Lance Taylor: / thelancetaylor Scott Forester: / scottforestertv Tyler Johns: /TylerJohnsTNR Sponsor the show: sales@nextroundlive.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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13 mins